Call of Duty: World at War - multiplayer hands-on

Will the shooter maintain online dominance for another year? Sure as hell looks that way...

Tossing in living squad mates changes the dynamic incredibly. For one, most people will now want to be the first in a room - guns a blazin’ - as the rewards now outweigh the risk. Cower behind cover and you’ll find a room swept and all the points awarded to the players with the bigger balls.

Second, players fall but they don’t die right away. Instead, they’re given the Last Stand option of picking off people with a handgun until revived. You must revive your buddies. They won’t die right away, so you can scoop up their kill points for yourself as long as you’re keeping careful eye on the on-screen “Revive” indicator. Because if you let a player die, the game’s over, Junior. Luckily, reviving a fallen comrade awards you with additional points, so your Samaritan deeds can also be strung together for multiplier combos if timed appropriately.

Of course, knowing what’s coming gives the player an advantage. In the Japanese jungle map “Relentless” (Holy crap, not just a clever name) knowing where and when enemies appear definitely offered clear advantage. If you’re well aware of the Banzai barrage waiting in the brush, hang back and pick enemies off from afar rather than risk a critical bayoneting from a manic and well camouflaged enemy.

In the Berlin based “Eviction,” points were even awarded for slaughtering wounded and surrendered soldiers, at the behest of those cold and merciless Ruskies. Sure it stings the conscience the first time, but hey, it’s free points! We chucked a Molotov Cocktail right in the middle of three unarmed soldiers, hands in air, and trust us when we say the “x3” prompt was just as satisfying as putting down a capable combatant.

As if you needed more reason to care, XP earned in online co-op is fully integrated with multiplayer. It’s actually in your best interest to give it a shot. We can’t wait to play more, especially since our hands-on session saw “Professional Game Journalists” refusing to surrender their co-op stations for hours on end. Generally a good sign, just sayin’.

Rest your worries, friends. It’s no hype, we’ve played it and it’s safe to say Call of Duty: World at War is in extremely capable hands over at Treyarch. With more of what we loved, and the addition of what you demanded, we’re going to go ahead call this another victory for CoD in the battle for online supremacy. Find out if we’re lying November 11 of this year.